Canvas Access and Roles Permissions
Course roles provide users with course-based permissions. Users with these roles cannot see more than what is in their Canvas courses.
Canvas Course Access, Roles and Permissions
The information below provides detailed information about the Canvas course availability dates, Canvas course roles and their corresponding permissions.
- Primary use: Students enrolled in a course site or students officially auditing a course through the Registrar's office.
- Permissions: The Student role has permissions to view course content and engage in course activities, including the ability to submit assignments, participate in discussions, and view the course roster.
- Restrictions: Students cannot manipulate course settings, or see other students’ grades and assignment submissions.
Note: Students should have access to courses 14 days before the first day of the semester until 14 days after the last day of that semester. However, access may vary based on individual instructor preference and when the course is published.
- Primary use: Instructors assigned to teach a class, course coordinators and co-teachers.
- Permissions: Teachers have all course-level permissions, including the ability to add, edit and delete all content in a course, edit course settings, and manually add TA’s and other Teachers with active Canvas user accounts.
- Restrictions: Teacher role cannot add or remove students or change the course name.
Note: Teachers will have access to courses 45 days before the first day of the semester until 365 days after the last day of that semester.
- Primary use: TA’s assigned to a specific class section.
- Permissions: TA’s have permissions equivalent to the Teacher role.
- Restrictions: TA role cannot add or remove students.
Note: TA's should have access to courses 14 days before the first day of the semester until 14 days after the last day of that semester. However, access may vary based on individual instructor preference and when the course is published.
Designer Role
- Primary use: Course developers, and instructional designers.
- Permissions: Create course content, discussions, announcements, assignments, quizzes, and other content features.
- Restrictions: Designers cannot add other individuals to a course and cannot access grades or student data.
Note: Designers will have access to courses 45 days before the first day of the semester until 365 days after the last day of that semester.
- Primary use: Student Success coordinators and others who need to monitor the progress of a student in a course.
- Permissions: Observers have access to view course content. This role can be linked to a student enrolled in a course in order to monitor his or her progress.
- Restrictions: Observers have no permissions to edit or participate in course activities.
Note: Observers will have access to courses the first day of the semester until the last day of that semester.
Grader Role
- Primary use: Graders are assigned to a specific class section to grade only.
- Permissions: Graders have permissions to input grades for graded assignments, graded discussions and final grade.
- Restrictions: Grader role cannot add or remove students, change assignment details, moderate a quiz, view analytics and a host of other restrictions.
Note: Graders will have access to courses the first day of the semester until the last day of that semester.
Elevated Access
Elevated Access to Canvas is in accordance with the Stevens Information Security Policy. This includes access to data defined as greater than "minimal risk" by the University's FERPA policy.
Appropriate Use of Elevated Canvas Access
The use of Elevated Canvas Access should be consistent with an individual’s role or job responsibilities as prescribed by Director/Department Chair. When an individual’s role or job responsibilities change, Elevated Canvas Access should be appropriately updated or removed. In situations where it is unclear whether a particular action is appropriate, and within the scope of current job responsibilities, the situation should be discussed with the Director/Department Head/IT.
Inappropriate Use of Elevated Canvas Access
In addition to those activities deemed inappropriate in the Acceptable Use Policy, the following constitutes inappropriate use of elevated Canvas Access unless documented and approved by management:
- Circumventing user access controls or any other formal University security controls
- Circumventing any other formal university computing controls
- Circumventing technology support procedures
- Circumventing formal account activation/suspension procedures
- Circumventing formal account access change request procedures
- Circumventing any other established University procedures
Reporting Inappropriate Use of Elevated Canvas Access
As stated in the Information Security Policy, any user who suspects a violation of the Acceptable Use Policy should contact the Information Security Office at security@stevens.edu. This includes suspected inappropriate use of Administrator Access. The Division of Information Technology shall revoke or alter elevated privileges when notified of violations or for general auditing purposed to secure data.
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